Projects

The Library has so many plans in train or planned that the workload for library staff has been likened to the circus act of keeping many plates spinning on poles.

Some of our recent achievements

• The installation of a replacement 30 range compactus in late 2007, funded so generously by the Friends of The Gardens, has provided the Library with an extra 10-15 years of growth space. It was a mammoth task involving 1500 cartons of journals and the movementof 15 or so tonnes of steel in an out of the Library. Every journal and book in the Library has now been moved.
• Recent years have seen the refurbishment of the back corner which now houses the Quarto and new Folio collections and two new work areas with fabulous views (the Bill & Sally Nelson Corner).
• Additional shelving in the rare book Annexe now houses the botanical illustration collection, the manuscript collection, rolled maps and framed and mounted images.
• The exhibition Panoramas, Plants & People displayed the history of the Gardens using images and objects from the Library's collections and the Maiden museum collection.
• The annexation of a cleaners’ cupboard and an unused corridor provided secure storage for the historic photograph and image collections and shelving for the microfiche collection and backlog materials.
• A multimedia workstation provides flatbed scanner and slide scanner facilities so precious resources no longer need to leave the library.
• A new digital microfiche funded by Dorothy & Alex Robinson via the Friends gives us instant networkable access to many thousands of overseas herbaria images.
• UV filters and blinds now protect the collection from the sun and new seating throughout provides ergonomic comfort.
• And of course our team of volunteers have achieved what seemed unimaginable just a few years ago - the sorting, rehousing and documenting of heritage collections and many other projecst - see Library volunteers.
  

Future Projects

Unfunded

1.  The completion of the journal stocktake to create the first full and accurate listing of the Library’s serials and the file boxing of many titles
2.  The sorting, rehousing and documenting of as-yet unprocessed collections:

• glass slides (containing many precious images of the Gardens)
• mounted photographs
• historic slides
• plant slides (to merge into the existing collection)
• maps & plans
• realia (historic objects)
• framed & mounted images
• working archives

3.  Continuing the covering of fragile leather bound volumes with acid-free plastic
4.  Adding location records to species lists and preparing for cataloguing online
5.  Creation of a separate collection of publications by and about the Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain.

Funding Needed

1.  Digitising the card catalogue which has 134 years of the Library’s collections and indexing buried in it
2.  Continuing the digitising of artworks, botanical illustrations, photographs, glass slides, plant slides, realia and selected maps & plans
3.  Continuing the restoration of at-risk Library collection items
4.  Refurbishment of the rest of the Library - relocating and upgrading the library office, revamping and up-dating the main user and display area, moving book shelves away from north facing windows and increasing shelving space, building specialist secure storage for the realia collection and a secure unit to display our rare & valuable collection items.
5.  Digitising unpublished reports, species lists, site surveys and selected manuscripts.

The fabulous new compactus donated by the Friends of The Gardens 

Panoramas Plants & Peoples exhibition displaying the history of the Gardens in pictures & objects

Another corner of the exhibition displaying treasures from the Library's collections

Seating area and desk space overlooking the Cunningham garden

Study desk and volunteer work area overlooking the Solander Lawn